Todd Jay Christensen (August 3, 1956 – November 13, 2013) was an American professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) from 1978 until 1988, primarily with the Oakland / Los Angeles Raiders. Following his retirement Christensen became a commentator for both professional and collegiate games, working for NBC Sports, ESPN, and CBS Sports Network among others. Early years Todd was born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. His parents were Ned Jay and June Christensen. His father was working on a doctoral degree at Pennsylvania State University at that time. After teaching in West Virginia, his father was offered a professorship in Eugene, Oregon, when Todd was 5 and the family relocated. "Puberty and adolescence helped me realize that I was not as fast as I had thought," he recalled. "My body went a different direction and that was when I started leaning towards football." He graduated from Sheldon High School in Eugene in 1974. He was selected in the 1974 Major League Baseball draft, but he elected to play football at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. At BYU, Christensen was a four-year starter (1974–1977) for the Cougars at fullback, led the team for three consecutive seasons in receiving and was an All-Western Athletic Conference selection as a senior in 1977. His career numbers while at BYU: 276 rushing attempts for 1,072 yards and 8 touchdowns, 152 receptions for 1,568 yards and 13 touchdowns. He graduated with a degree in social work in 1978 before embarking on his pro career. Professional career Dallas Cowboys Christensen was selected in the second-round (56th overall) of the 1978 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys. While playing fullback and leading the team in rushing, he broke his foot in the final exhibition game, so he was placed on injured reserve and couldn't play a down in a season the team won the conference title and played in Super Bowl XIII. The next year the Cowboys wanted to convert him to tight end, but he didn't agree with the move after working one week in his new position, so he was waived at the end of training camp. New York Giants Christensen was claimed off waivers by the New York Giants but only played in one game and lasted two weeks with the team, before being released to make room for wide receiver Dwight Scales. Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders After